SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) -- Reverend Chester A Ellis said he doesn't know what to make of an amendment on this week's city council agenda.

"It makes no sense," said Ellis.

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On Thursday, the council will vote on funding a $354,650 contract for Barrett Sports Group. The money will fund a new study that will evaluate whether or not the current civic center site is a good location for the $140 million, SPLOST funded arena.

In 2015, previous administration voted to build the new Savannah arena at the corner of Gwinnett and Stiles on Savannah's west side.

Ellis said he doesn't understand what could be up for debate.

"The site at Gwinnett and Stiles was designated as the site," he said.

On May 12th, at the council workshop meeting, Mayor Eddie DeLoach said looking at the civic center site was somehting he wanted to explore.

"Its just an idea I had about putting it back in the original spot," said Mayor DeLoach.

He expressed concerns during the presentation about the Gwinnett and Stiles site about the rising cost of not only the arena, but other projects that would need to happen around it.

"The numbers that have been presented overstep the amount of money we have coming in in the SPLOST program, we don't have the money for the waterworks, we don't have the money for the canal district, we have some money for the roads, but we don't have the monies we need for the project," he said.

At the time, DeLoach said anything that could save the city money, was worth exploring.

Ellis, president of the Carver Village Neighborhood Association, said another study would be a waste of time, and taxpayer money. He said a study commissioned in 2000 eliminated the civic center as a site due to it's size.

He said having the arena in the Carver Village Neighborhood is key to redeveloping the area, and he wants it to be a successful anchor for other developments.